


Nightmares and Feelings

by Missanna444



Category: The X-Files
Genre: Comfort, Eventual Relationships, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Nightmares
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-27
Updated: 2018-03-26
Packaged: 2018-12-07 11:43:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 8,236
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11622819
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Missanna444/pseuds/Missanna444
Summary: An AU in which nothing goes wrong after William is born. Scully has nightmares. Monica does her best to comfort her. Crying, comfort, hugs, and feelings ensue.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a oneshot for now, but I'll change it to a two part (or more) story if it gets good reviews!

Monica always stayed in contact with Scully during cases. After William was born, Scully had gone back to teaching at Quantico, deciding that the F.B.I. was too risky with a young son at home. Even so, she was glad to provide scientific insight if Monica and Agent Doggett where on a case. The typical routine ended with Monica showing up at Scully’s apartment when she got back from the case and debriefing her friend on whatever had happened. No matter how serious the details of the case, the two of them usually ended up trading random stories over a glass of wine to relax. After a year of this, Scully had learned to simply leave her spare key under the doormat for Monica, in the event that she arrived at an inconvenient time. In the event that Scully was asleep when Monica entered the apartment, the brunette would check on her quickly, then leave her to sleep and return in the morning. One particular night, that seemed to be how the routine would turn out, but it wasn’t.

 

Scully was asleep when Monica got there, but it didn’t last long. As soon as the door was opened, a loud cry could be heard from the apartment, and the cry wasn’t William’s. Upon hearing it, Monica’s heart began to race as she sprinted to the bedroom. Had she developed feelings for Scully over the past year? Yes, she had, and the idea that Scully could possibly be in danger sent her into a frenzy. 

 

She entered the room to see the redhead curled up tightly underneath the blankets, her face buried in a pillow. There was no one else in the room, no immediate signs of danger. Monica was confused for a moment, seeing no signs that the cry had come from the smaller woman. As she got closer, however, she could see Scully shaking beneath the covers. 

 

“Dana…?” Monica said softly, going to Scully’s side of the bed to check on her. Even with the intention to comfort her, she would never dare to get into bed with Scully without her permission. When there was no response other than sudden fearful movements, Monica determined that Scully was still asleep, having not yet escaped her nightmare. Monica knelt beside the bed and placed a gentle hand on Scully’s arm. She felt the shaking suddenly stopped, now replaced by a tense stillness, as if Scully was halfway between sleep and full wakefulness. Before Monica could say more, Scully shifted and curled up even tighter, clutching her pillow as though it was a life raft.

 

“Don’t… you can’t…” the sleeping woman murmured, tears in her eyes. 

 

“Dana, wake up, you’re safe at home. William is safe. You’re not alone, Dana, I’m right here.” Monica always tried a gentler approach first, hoping to make the terror go away without having to wake the poor woman up. It often worked, but this time was different. Scully seemed stuck in her nightmare. 

 

“Don’t take him… Where…? No! No, let go of me!” Scully said, her words beginning as a murmur before she shouted at the end. Monica reached over to touch her, this time shaking her arm more forcefully. 

 

“Dana, wake up! Dana, listen to me, it’s just a dream and you need to wake up!” She said, louder than before. It didn’t help that Scully was a heavy sleeper these days, meaning that Monica had to use a harsher and louder tone of voice than she would have preferred. There was a sudden gasp and Scully’s eyes snapped open. Her eyes adjusted to the darkness rather quickly and focused on Monica’s silhouetted figure next to her. 

 

“Monica…?” She whispered before shutting her eyes tightly and dissolving into quiet sobs. Monica stood and tried to hug her, an action that was reasonably awkward with Scully in bed and Monica still half standing on the floor. Without saying anything, Scully moved over to make room for Monica. The brunette carefully climbed onto the bed next to her and wrapped her arms around Scully’s shoulders to comfort her. She rubbed her back gently, comforting her as she cried. 

 

It was half an hour before Scully finally calmed down, her head resting gently on Monica’s shoulder. 

 

“You got back later than you said you would…” She whispered, trying to divert the attention from what had just happened. 

 

“The flight got delayed…” Monica sighed. “You had another nightmare tonight, didn’t you?”

 

“Yes… It was like two in one this time, it was… horrible.” Scully said softly. 

 

“Do you want to talk about it?”

 

Scully shook her head. Monica remained silent, not wanting to press her too much. 

 

“Do you want to try and get some sleep?” Monica asked after several long moments.

 

“Will you stay…?” Scully asked softly. The nightmares that plagued her made her more restless, and it seemed that Monica’s presence was the only thing that could calm her. 

 

“I’ll stay as long as you want me too, Dana…” 

 

Scully nodded and looked up at her friend for a moment before returning her cheek to it’s place on Monica’s chest. Her last thoughts before she dozed off consisted of the feeling of Monica’s lips gently pressing a kiss to the top of her head and wondering if-- and possibly hoping that-- it could possibly mean something more than a friendly comforting kiss. It was a topic to be discussed in the morning. 


	2. Chapter 2

Scully woke as the sun began shining through the window. She yawned and sat up, looking around her. The bed was empty beside her, but there was still an impression in the pillow where someone’s head had been. After listening for a moment, she could hear someone in the kitchen trying to be quiet. She could smell coffee. As she sat up, her bedroom door opened a little and Monica appeared in the doorway.

 

“Oh, hey, you’re awake…” She said and stepped into the room, holding two mugs in her hands. “Here, Dana, I brought you some coffee.” 

 

“Thank you…” Scully smiled softly as the drink was handed to her. She took a sip of the drink and watched as Monica pulled the chair from the desk over to the bed and sat down. She would have offered to let Monica sit next to her on the bed, but then she remembered the events from the night before and decided not to. 

 

“Did you sleep okay?” Monica asked, obviously referring to the second half of the night, during which Scully actually did sleep. 

 

“Yeah, I did… It was a little easier, knowing someone else was there.” She replied. 

 

“Well, I’ll always be here for you, Dana… No matter what I’ll always come running to you.” Monica replied, with complete sincerity in her voice. Scully could feel herself blushing and took another sip of coffee to hide it. 

 

“How did the case go?” She asked, turning the subject of the conversation away from herself.

 

“Oh, it turned out to not even be an X-File. Just your average serial killer.”

 

“Did you catch the guy?” 

 

“It turned out to be a woman, actually.”

 

“Oh, wow. Not often you encounter that.”

 

“Right…” Monica took a deep breath before sighing softly. “Dana, we really should talk about last night.”

 

“Yes, I suppose you’re right…” Scully agreed, looking over at her friend. “The nightmare was like a two-in-one sort of thing. Two horrible events, just replaying in my mind…”

 

“One of them was about William.” Monica said. At Scully’s surprised expression, she elaborated. “You were talking in your sleep. But what was the other part of it? From what you said in your sleep, it could’ve been just about anything.” 

 

“The other was about the abduction, when I was taken. I still don’t remember a lot from it, but what I do remember still haunts me.”

 

“It must’ve been awful… It was difficult to wake you up, more difficult than it has ever been.” 

 

“Part of me knew it was a dream… I could feel it. I could hear your voice, even. But I felt so stuck until… Your voice eventually got loud enough that it woke me.” Scully told her. “It was your voice that brought me back to reality.” 

 

“Well, I’m glad it did. I couldn’t stand the look of pain on your face. I hated what that nightmare was doing to you…” Monica replied, her dark eyes meeting Scully’s blue ones. 

 

A silence fell between them, neither of them speaking. Then, several moments later, Scully leaned over and pressed a gentle kiss to Monica’s lips. “Thank you, Monica. For everything.” She said softly. A soft smile appeared on Monica’s lips as she leaned over to return the kiss. 

 

“I… I love you, Dana.” She said hesitantly, almost afraid of how Scully would respond to such a confession.

 

“I love you, too, Monica.” She went to kiss her again, but was interrupted by cries coming from the other room. “I think William’s up.” She chuckled and stood up.

 

“You go take care of him, I’ll make us all some breakfast.” Monica smiled and headed for the kitchen. Everything would turn out alright. She had no doubt of that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Should I add more to this, continue this story? Comment and let me know! I'd love feedback!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've decided that, for the sake of this story, Melissa is still alive.

A few days passed since that night, everything still very fresh and new for the two women. Neither of them was really sure exactly what to do, and they certainly didn't want to ruin what they now had. So, they took things slow. 

 

One evening, after finally putting a particularly fussy William to bed, Scully and Monica sat on the couch. This wasn't much of a change from their normal routine, as Monica often spent time with Scully and helping her with William. As Monica looked at the woman beside her, she noticed how stressed she looked. 

 

“Dana, you need a night out.” Monica said decidedly, as if there was no arguing. 

 

“A night out? Monica, I'm hardly awake right now, how would I survive a night out?” Scully chuckled. 

 

“Well, Melissa watches William during the day, right? What if we pay her a little extra to watch him during the evening on Friday, too? That way, William’s potential fussing won't make you too tired. I'll pick you up right from work, we'll go to dinner and a movie… I'll even let you pick the movie!” She smiled. “C'mon, Dana, what do you say?” There was a soft sigh from Scully, then a smile began to appear on her face. 

 

“Okay, okay. But you know this means we have to tell Melissa about us, right?” Scully said, wondering if they wanted to tell her sister this soon. 

 

“I think she’ll be really supportive, Dana. She always has been.” Monica replied. “Besides, we don’t have to tell her immediately. This is our first date, after all. We could wait until we know that this is going to work out between us.”

 

“What are you suggesting? What would we tell her, then? Is it believable that two friends would go to dinner and a movie together? It does sound a lot like a date.” Scully pointed out.

 

“Well, yeah, it’s believable. And when we get home, you can tell her about it, no matter if it goes well or not.” 

 

That was the plan they decided to go with. That Friday morning, Melissa came over to Scully’s apartment before Scully left for work, as was always the routine on weekday mornings. Though she would never admit it, she could tell that her younger sister was going to go on some sort of date. The moment Scully had told her about the night out with Monica, Melissa just knew. She was excited for her, knowing how much she needed this.

 

“So, this whole thing is just two friends hanging out? That’s it?” Melissa teased, trying to pry the truth out of her. 

 

“That’s it, Missy, I swear.” Scully chuckled, rolling her eyes.

 

“Okay, okay. Have fun tonight, alright?” Melissa smiled, sitting down at the table across from William. 

 

“I will.” She smiled and walked over to kiss the top of her son’s head. “Be good for Auntie Melissa, kiddo.” She said before quickly moving to dodge William’s applesauce covered hand. The little boy grinned at his mother, clearly proud of the mess he was already making. Scully chuckled softly and waved as she walked out the door and headed to work.

 

Scully managed to survive all of her classes that day, though her students could tell that she was excited about something. By the end of the day, she was all smiles, something that had become increasingly rare over the years. After the students left her last class, a soft knock sounded on the door. She looked up from putting things back in her bag to find Monica standing in the doorway. 

 

“Hey, you’re a little early.” Scully smiled, walking over to greet her. 

 

“I did say I’d pick you up from work, didn’t I?” Monica smiled and shrugged. “How did it go with Melissa?” 

 

“I get the feeling she saw right through my explanation, but I don’t mind. She seemed happy that I was even getting out of the house for something other than work.” She said, shouldering her bag.

 

“Good, because I have quite an evening planned for us.”

 

“Oh? And what exactly does that entail?” Scully asked with her usual raised eyebrow.

 

“First, I made a reservation at that Italian place you love. And then, we’re heading to that movie you mentioned wanting to see a few weeks ago.”

 

“I already like you a lot, Monica, you don’t have to be this romantic on the first date. You don’t have to impress you.” She chuckled softly. 

 

“I know, but I want to give you a great night anyways. You spend all day teaching, then you spend the evening being an amazing mother to William. You deserve to have a little fun and time for yourself.” 

 

Scully smiled and reached over to take Monica’s hand as they began walking. “Okay, I’ll let you make these grand plans just this once.” She giggled softly.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this chapter is pretty short, but the next one will be longer, I promise!

The two of them sat at a table by the window of the restaurant, each with a glass of wine and their half-eaten meals in front of them. There was no conversation for the moment, as they had both finished laughing over some amusing story of Monica’s. Scully let the silence drift over them on purpose, so she could take a moment to appreciate the moment just then. She wanted to memorize it. She wanted to always remember this moment, Monica’s smile, the wonderful taste of the wine and the food, the fact that she wasn’t even worried about William… Everything just felt right. 

“What are you thinking about?” Monica asked, noting the pensive look on her face. 

“Hm?” 

“You’ve got that look of concentration on your face.” She chuckled softly. When Scully raised a curious eyebrow, Monica explained, “Whenever you’re in deep thought about something, you get this far away look on your face. Especially when the thing you’re thinking about makes you happy.” 

Scully smiled slightly, almost flustered by the fact that Monica paid attention to her enough to even notice that. 

“You know, you’re not the only one who notices cute things.” She grinned. 

“Oh? Do tell, Dana. I’m intrigued.” Monica said with a slight chuckle.

“The way you smile when you’re really excited about something. I mean, given your line of work, it’s rare to see you smile quite that wide. But when you do… it lights up the whole room.” She spoke hesitantly at first, but she saw how happy her words made Monica and her confidence grew. 

“Are you flirting with me, Dana Scully? Wow. I never would have thought of you as the romantic type… I can’t say I mind, though.” Monica said with a bit of a grin. Scully could feel her cheeks turning red. 

“Well, I mean, I just-- with what you said, I wanted to--” Scully’s words didn’t come out as easily as usual, as she tried to search for the right thing to say. 

“No, no, no, it’s okay, Dana. I’m perfectly fine with it. Look, I know that this is different for us. It’s a whole new thing, a new relationship, and you’ve got William to think about on top of all of that. But it’s okay if you want to test the waters a little. Get a little flirty, joke around, relax a little bit when we’re on a date. We’re not at work right now, we can be ourselves.” Monica told her, reaching her hand across the table to take Scully’s. 

“You’re right… You’re absolutely right. I guess I’m just nervous. It’s been awhile since I’ve been in a relationship and I haven’t been in a relationship with a woman since, well, college…” Scully shrugged, though she was glad to have the comfort of Monica’s words. 

“We’ll take this slow, I promise. I want this to last. I’ve wanted this since we first met. Do you believe in fate, Scully?” 

“Fate? No, I don’t.”

“Well, I do. And the moment we met, I knew there was something there, something that we were meant to feel. This is that something.” Monica explained. 

“You put together a pretty convincing argument, Monica.” Scully chuckled and squeezed the other woman’s hand gently. 

After dinner, the two walked to the movie theater nearby. Their walk was silent. In the silence, Scully thought over the whole evening so far and how much she was enjoying it. She was impressed by how much Monica remembered about her, even the tiny little details, things she had said several weeks ago. It meant a lot, to know that someone was listening to her. She felt like she mattered, and that made all the difference. 

They walked into the movie theater and sat down just as the lights dimmed. Scully looked over at Monica and smiled. Monica smiled back, just glad that Scully was happy.


	5. Chapter 5

The night was over all too soon. Before they knew it, they were standing on the doorstep of Scully’s apartment.

“Dana, I had a really great time tonight.” Monica smiled at her.

“Me too. Are you sure you don’t want to come in for a few minutes and have a drink?”

“As much as I’d love to… I’ve got a meeting with Skinner in the morning.”

  
“Isn’t tomorrow Saturday?”

“Well, yeah, but they got some new leads on a case, so he wants me to come in and look at the data.” She explained with a shrug. “Besides, won’t Melissa ask questions if I come in for a drink?”

“She’ll ask questions anyways.” She giggled.

“I’ll see you soon, Dana. Go and get some sleep.” Monica chuckled. Scully nodded and stood on her toes to give her a quick kiss.

“Goodnight, Monica.”

“Goodnight, Dana.”

And then Monica was gone, walking down the hall to the elevator to go back to her own home. Scully smiled softly to herself, opening the door to her apartment. When she walked in, she saw that Melissa had fallen asleep on the couch. When the door closed, however, Melissa sat up.

“Sorry, did I wake you?” Scully asked quietly, walking over.

“Well, yeah, but that’s okay.” She shrugged, then grinned up at her younger sister. “So, how’d it go?”

“How’d what go?” Scully asked sitting down.

“Your date!”

“Missy, it wasn’t--”

“Oh, come on, Dana. It was a date. People   
who are just friends do not kiss goodnight.”

“You heard our conversation? I thought you were asleep!”

“Sis, you know how thin these walls are.” Melissa giggled. “Seriously, how did it go? Was there a connection? Are you guys going out again soon?”

“It went really well, Missy. It went… really well. We’re both pretty busy these days, with her on cases and me teaching. So we don’t know when we’ll get to go out again, but I’m sure it’ll be soon.”

“Good… It’s wonderful seeing you so happy.”

Scully raised her eyebrows a little, curious now. “What do you mean?”

“You've just… You've always looked so sad and tired lately. Things have been difficult since you had William and you haven't allowed yourself to really take care of your own well-being. I know William makes you happy, but there's no doubt that you're lonely. You feel like you need someone to be close to that isn't related to you. I saw a sparkle in your eyes when you told me you were going to have a night out with Agent Reyes. And I'm glad that sparkle was there, I get worried about you sometimes.”

It stung how true those words were. Scully really did feel alone, and she hated to admit it. She'd always felt that she could do things on her own, but that simply wasn't true. Maybe Melissa was right. Maybe all she needed was someone to be close to. Maybe Monica could be that person.

A few days went by, and then those days turned into a week. A week with no communication with Monica. Scully reminded herself that Monica was working on a case and that free time was extremely limited. Still, she couldn't help but miss her.

Finally, after a week and a half of nothing, Scully's phone rang.


	6. Chapter 6

“Dana?”

 

“Monica? What is it?”

 

“Can… Can I sleep at your place tonight? I don’t want to make you uncomfortable or anything, I just-- I don’t want to be alone right now.”

 

“Of course. Did something happen?”

 

“I’ll explain later, I promise, I just want to get to your apartment first.” 

 

“Alright. I’ll see you soon.”

 

That was all that the conversation consisted of when Scully answered her phone that evening. She knew it was a little over an hour before Monica would get there, since there was a bit of a drive between Washington and Quantico. That would give her just enough time to give William his bath and put him to bed. She wanted to be able to give her full attention to Monica. She frowned slightly as she thought about how the other woman had sounded over the phone. She had sounded shaken, to say the least, maybe even a bit scared. It wasn’t often that Scully saw her actually seem frightened, so the phone call concerned her. After putting William to bed, she waited in the living room for the telltale knock on her door. She wondered if Monica’s case had been what had shaken her, or if something else had happened. She wasn’t sure which reason she preferred, both could be equally terrifying. Whatever the case, she was going to do whatever she could to help her.

 

The sound of knocking at the door startled her. She stood up and walked to the door, unlatching it and pulling it open. Monica was standing there, looking tired, her usual smile gone. Her eyes did light up a little when she saw Scully, though. Wordlessly, Scully took her hand and pulled her inside, guiding her to the couch so they could sit down. 

 

“What happened?” She asked gently. She didn’t want to press her, but she’d know how to help if she knew what was wrong. There was a long pause before there was a response. Monica just sat there for several moments, staring at Scully, as if the redhead was the only thing keeping her from breaking down at that moment. Finally, she spoke, her voice very soft.

 

“The case was… a lot more taxing than I had thought it would be. Skinner called me into the office to go over new evidence from an old case. The event that had happened before was now thought to be recurring.” She spoke slowly, and Scully listened patiently.

 

“Was it an X-File, like he believed?” Scully asked, knowing Monica wouldn’t have been asked to investigate otherwise. 

 

“Yes, I think so. In my report, I’m going to cite it as some sort of paranormal activity, but I have no idea what it was. I can’t explain it beyond that.” 

 

“Did you… have some sort of interaction with an entity?” Despite everything, Scully was still mostly on the skeptical side of things. While her opinion had changed regarding the existence of ghosts, she wasn’t really sure what to make of this. 

 

“I… Yes, I think so. I don’t know. Maybe this whole thing was a vision or a hallucination or something. Either way… It scared the hell out of me.” Monica paused to take a deep breath, then continued.  “I thought I heard… whatever this was, it tried to speak to me, it told me… It said things about us. Bad things. And I didn’t believe what it was saying, because I knew it wasn’t true, but… that’s why I came to see you. I just had to see you and be near you and remember that you’re here.” 

 

Scully was quiet for a moment, letting this all sink in. 

 

“I’ll always be here for you, Monica. No matter what we go through, no matter what happens. I will always be here for you, and I will always care about you.” She pressed a gentle kiss to Monica’s forehead. “Now, why don’t you lie down and get some rest. You can sleep in the bed if you want, it’ll be better for you than sleeping on the couch. Either way, I’ll be here if you need anything. Don’t be afraid to wake me.” She said softly. Monica nodded and stood, then paused in the doorway that lead to the bedroom. 

 

“Dana..?” She said softly. 

 

“Yes?” 

 

“Will you stay with me?”   
  


“Yeah, of course.”

 

As she fell asleep that night, with Monica resting gently in her arms, she couldn’t help but think of the irony of it all. This had begun with Monica comforting Scully after a terrible nightmare, and now it was the opposite. Scully knew, before she drifted off to sleep, that she’d do anything to make sure Monica was comfortable and happy. It wasn’t just because of everything Monica had done for her in the past, she just knew that she cared deeply about her and felt the need to protect her and make sure she was always safe. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't really think of what spooked Monica so badly, so I just kind of vaguely explained it. Hopefully, I'll figure it out in more detail to explain it in the next chapter!


	7. Chapter 7

The next morning, Scully woke early, as usual. She didn't get out of bed or even move, trying not to wake Monica. There was a slight smile on her face, noticing how peaceful Monica looked. The smile faded, though, when she thought about how Monica's face had looked the night before. She'd looked so sad and scared. Scully brushed a strand of dark hair from her girlfriend’s face. Wait, were they girlfriends? That’s what was confusing. Sure, they’d been on a date, they spent a lot of time together, and here they were, sleeping in the same bed for the second time. But they’d never established what their relationship was now. They were stuck in that odd place between friends and more than friends. 

 

Before she could contemplate this any further, she felt the woman beside her begin to stir. 

 

“Dana…?” Monica mumbled, one eye open and looking at Scully, while the rest of her face was buried in the pillow. 

 

“Hey… Sleep okay?” She said softly. Monica shrugged, shifting onto her back so she could see Scully better.

 

“Yeah, I slept alright.”

 

“Do you want to talk about what happened last night?”

 

Monica shook her head. 

 

“I’d rather not. I’m still trying to make sense of it.”

 

“Okay,” Scully nodded in understanding and kissed Monica’s forehead. The brunette looked up a her in surprise. A slight red blush appeared on Scully’s face, but she saw Monica smile.  “Do you want some breakfast?” Scully asked after a moment. 

 

“Sure, that'd be… that'd be great.” Monica nodded, sitting up so that Scully could get up. 

 

The rest of the morning was peaceful. William woke while Scully made breakfast, and Monica played with him, which seemed to calm her down. They ate breakfast in what seemed like complete silence. There was an odd awkwardness that wasn't there before, and the silence seemed to make it worse by the second. An hour later, Monica left to go home and Scully picked up the phone to call her mother. The phone rang only twice before it was answered. 

 

“Hello?” 

 

“Mom? It's Dana.” 

 

“What's wrong, sweetie? You sound stressed.” Leave it to Maggie to be able to pick up on her daughter's mood after only three words spoken. 

“Just... things going on. Did Melissa tell you about last week?”

 

“When you asked her to babysit so you could go on a much needed date? Yes, she did. Do you need me to babysit tonight?” 

 

“No, no, I… Can you come over? I need someone to talk to. I've got… stuff to figure out.”

 

“Of course, Dana. I'll be there in half an hour.” 

 

True to her word, Maggie appeared at Scully's apartment exactly thirty minutes later. 

 

“Hi, Mom.” Scully smiled, giving her a brief hug in greeting. 

 

“I brought lunch.” Maggie smiled, holding up a paper bag that contained cheeseburgers. 

 

“Mom-”

 

“It's just a burger, Dana, it won't kill you.” Maggie smiled, aware of her daughter's guilty pleasure. 

 

“Alright, alright. We'll eat them after we talk.” Scully said and sat down on the couch. Her mother sat down beside her. 

 

“What's on your mind, Dana?” She asked. 

 

“How much did Missy tell you?” 

 

“All she said was that you went on a date with that good friend of yours, Monica Reyes. Did it not go well?” 

 

“It went perfectly, but that's not the problem. She is a good friend, a very good friend. And we've been on one official date, but other things have happened and-- well, I'm not sure if we're more than that or not. You should've seen breakfast this morning, it was dead silent. We could barely say more than a few words to each other.” Scully explained with a soft sigh. 

 

“What are the other things that have happened? Did you two--?” 

 

“What? Oh, gosh, no! Not that. We didn't sleep together. But we have slept in the same bed, twice now. The first time was because she had come back from a case and walked in to hear me crying from a nightmare. When she finally got me to wake up, I didn't want to sleep alone, so she stayed with me. Then, last night, she came back from a particularly bad case and I stayed with her through the night to make sure she was okay.” 

 

“And somewhere between all that, you two went on a date?” 

 

“Yes, exactly. Given our closeness and the fact that we've kissed and been on a date… I would assume that we're more than friends, but we haven't discussed it, and the awkwardness is awful. And she won't talk about her case, which I know is bothering her. It had something to do with us and I don't know what.” 

 

“Sounds like you two need to talk. And I think you are going to need a babysitter tonight.” Maggie smiled. 

 

“What?” 

 

“You're going to have a long talk with Monica tonight, and I will watch William so that there's nothing to distract you. Communication is key, Dana. You need time alone with her to discuss everything.” 

 

“You're right, Mom. I'll call her soon.” 

 

“You'll call her right now.” 

 

“I-- okay.” Scully picked up the phone and dialed Monica's number. It rang for several moments before a tired sounding Monica answered. 

 

“Monica Reyes. Who's calling?” 

 

“Monica? It's Scully.”

 

“Oh, hi Dana… Is everything okay?” 

 

“Yeah, I just… can I come over tonight? I feel like we should talk about, well, everything.” 

 

“Yeah… Yeah, come over for dinner. I'll make us something and we can talk.” Despite the seriousness of the conversation they were about to have, both smiled to themselves.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry this took so long to update. Short update today, but the next one is already in the works!

The drive to Monica's apartment felt endlessly long. It wasn't that Scully thought the conversation would go badly, she just was anxious to get it over with. She walked up the stairs to the third floor, then walked down the narrow hallway until she reached the door of the apartment. With a nervous sigh, she knocked quietly. The walls were thin, and Scully could hear frantic movements that indicated Monica had been in the middle of cooking something when Scully had arrived. 

 

“The door’s unlocked! Come on in!” Monica called. Scully opened the door and walked in to see Monica putting a large dish on the table. She turned and flashed Scully a large smile. God, that smile. Every time Monica smiled, Scully swore the woman was made of pure sunshine. 

 

“Hey…” She smiled as she walked in. “You need any help with that?”

 

“Nah, I’m good. The table’s already set and everything. You can sit down at the table if you like.” 

 

Scully walked over to the table and sat down, glancing over at the table settings. 

 

“You put the wine out already?” She chuckled and took a sip of the drink. “Woah, how’d you know this was my favorite?”

 

“You order the same thing every time we go out for drinks after work. I figured you must like it.” Monica laughed softly as she sat down across from her. 

 

“Fair enough.” Scully chuckled softly, then a brief silence fell over the two of them. Finally, Monica broke the silence. 

 

“So, you said you wanted to talk. About what?” 

 

“I think you know the answer to that.”

 

“Yeah… Yeah, I do.”

 

“I just… Where do we stand? I mean, let's face it, we went on a date.” 

 

“And we kissed goodnight.” Monica added with the slightest smile. 

 

“Yeah, we did.” Scully grinned. “But that's my point. We've done these things that are so… not platonic. These aren't things that people who are 'just friends’ do. At least, not in my experience.” 

 

“No, you're right. But… maybe that's not a bad thing. I mean, think of it this way. Maybe we do end up as girlfriends, but that doesn't change much about how we act towards each other. We're still each other's best friends. The only difference is the label, really.” 

 

“And what is the label?” 

 

“I… well, if you'll agree to it, I'd be happy if you were my girlfriend.” Monica said, wincing at her awkward wording of it. Scully reached out and touched her hand. 

 

“I'd be honored to be your girlfriend.” She smiled. The smile was returned in Monica's usual sunshine sort of way. 

 

“That settles it, then.” Scully smiled. 

 

“It does. Now, come on, let's finish eating and watch a movie or something!” Monica giggled. Scully's laugh signaled her happy agreement.


	9. Chapter 9

“Okay, Dana, we’re going to try this again.” Monica said, her tone totally serious, but her eyes betraying her internal laughter. 

 

“Monica, I know I’ve been more open-minded than I used to be, but tarot cards are still--”

 

“Don’t say ridiculous.”

 

“--ridiculous!” Scully finished her sentence. “There is nothing remotely scientific about this.”

 

“Yet, you know how to use the cards.”   
  


“My sister taught me to use them when I was in high school. That doesn’t mean I believed them.”

 

“But you were still willing to learn.” Monica pointed out.

 

“Because she was my sister!” Scully protested while Monica chuckled to herself.

 

“Okay, okay. But humor me, okay? If you would do it for your sister, I don’t see why you wouldn’t do it for your girlfriend.”

 

Scully blushed.  _ Girlfriend. _ Ever since they’d officially begun dating, neither of them was very used to the new label. Still, they giggled about it like schoolgirls, throwing the new term into conversation anytime they could. Both secretly wondered when the shine of new romance would rub off, and each hoped that it never would.

 

Scully shook the thoughts from her head and sighed, turning to watch Monica shuffle the large deck of tarot cards. 

 

“How many times do you have to shuffle that?”

 

“As many as you want, but I usually shuffle it seven times, for good luck. And then, I’m going to have you shuffle it once and pick the cards randomly. Since I’m reading the cards for you, you’re the one who has to touch them last.” She explained, then set the deck in front of Scully. “Your turn.”

 

Scully nodded and held the deck precariously in her hands as she tried to shuffle them. She shuffled it once, then picked twelve cards and put them down where Monica told her to. 

 

“Wait, wait. You put the cards in a different shape last time.”

 

Monica nodded. “I know. There are lots of different spreads you can do. This one is the easiest for me, so I figured we’d do this one for now.”

 

“Oh, okay…”

 

They tried several different spreads, and Scully asked more and more questions, making Monica roll her eyes several times. 

 

“It's not science! It's just intuition. There's nothing scientific about it.” 

 

“There has to be!” Scully protested. 

 

“There isn't!” 

 

“Then explain how it just happens to know everything about me! Why are all of these cards so damn accurate? Intuition doesn't cut it.” 

 

Her statement made Monica laugh. 

 

“I don't know exactly how it works, Dana. But, I don't need to. I trust it. I believe it. I just do.” She smiled softly. Scully sighed and shook her head as she out the cards down. 

 

“Alright, alright… we've been doing this for over two hours. Now what?” 

 

“We could watch a movie or something?” 

 

“Yeah, okay. Movies are fun.” Scully nodded and walked over to the TV to pick something out from Monica's large pile of movies. 

 

“This one?” She asked, holding one up. The brunette nodded and smiled. 

 

“Perfect. That's one of my favorites.” Monica put the cards back in the silk cloth she kept them in, then sat beside Scully on the couch. She turned on the movie, then gently put her arm around Scully's shoulders. Scully glanced over and smiled, then leaned into Monica's embrace, her head eventually resting on her girlfriend's shoulder. They laughed through the movie together, but Monica noticed Scully's laughs getting quieter by the end. As the end credits rolled, she glanced over to see Scully fast asleep against her. 

 

Monica briefly debated whether or not to bring Scully over to the bed so she could sleep a little more comfortably, but she didn't want to wake her up. After another moment of thought, she shifted her weight and her position very slowly so that they could both sleep on the couch and not be too uncomfortable. A few minutes of careful movement later, Monica was lying on her back, with Scully still sound asleep and curled up against her. Monica smiled and pressed a gentle kiss to Scully's forehead. She watched her for a moment, taking in the beauty of the woman beside her. She looked so peaceful when she slept. This made Monica sad for a moment, wishing that Scully could be anywhere near this peaceful when she was awake. She pushed those thoughts away for the time being, though, deciding just to enjoy the happiness and comfort while it lasted. 


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the record, I have no idea where any of this is going. I just needed to post some Scully/Reyes cuteness.

 

The peaceful silence that had come over the two of them as they slept on the couch was broken suddenly at the sound of Monica’s phone ringing. She got up carefully, trying not to wake up Scully, and answered it.

“Hello?”

 

“Monica? It’s Maggie, Dana’s mom.” The older woman sounded nervous, which Monica noticed immediately.

 

“Hi, Maggie. Is everything alright?” She asked carefully, walking to the kitchen as she spoke. 

 

“You need to bring Dana to the hospital. William kept getting sick and I couldn’t figure out what was wrong with him, so I brought him to the hospital and they’re running some tests. He keeps asking for her…”

 

“We’ll be right there, Maggie. Tell William his mom is on her way.” Monica said, then hung up the phone. Taking a nervous breath, she rushed back to the living room and gently shook Scully awake.

 

“Good morning…” Scully smiled sleepily, then noticed the look on Monica’s face and sat up. “What is it? What’s wrong?”

 

“William kept getting sick and your mom brought him to the hospital. We’re going to meet her there, okay?” 

Scully was up in an instant, grabbing one of Monica’s sweaters to borrow since she didn’t have a change of clothes with her. As soon as she was dressed, she grabbed her keys and the two of them rushed to the car.

 

“I’ll drive.” Monica said, getting in the car. Seeing Scully’s brief look of protest, she added, “You’re shaking, Dana. Let me drive.” Scully stared at her another moment, then nodded. Monica waited for Scully to buckle her seatbelt, then drove off as fast as she could without getting a speeding ticket. Twenty minutes later, they were at the hospital and rushing inside. As soon as they got inside, a nurse spotted them and came over.

 

“Dr. Scully? What’s wrong?” The woman asked, noticing Scully’s panicked look. Scully opened her mouth to reply, but no sound came out. Monica quickly answered for her. 

 

“We’re looking for her son, William. Dana’s mom brought him in earlier. Some sort of stomach bug, maybe?” 

 

“Oh! Yes, he’s just down the hall and to the right.” When Scully made no move to find him, the nurse added gently, “Follow me, I’ll show you.” Still, Scully didn’t move. Monica reached over and squeezed her hand. The redhead was shaking. Monica frowned slightly and started to guide Scully to the room they were being led to. 

 

“I’m here, Dana. It’ll be alright.” She said gently, putting a gentle arm around the woman’s shoulders. She felt Scully take a deep breath as they walked. Soon, they reached the room and Scully’s mother could be seen through the window that was next to the door. With an unsteady hand, Scully turned the doorknob and opened it slowly. 

 

“Dana! Oh, good, you’re here…” Maggie said as soon as she saw her, standing to hug her daughter. 

 

“How is he?” Scully asked, letting herself lean into Maggie’s embrace. 

 

“He’s… getting better. He’s stopped throwing up for now, but the doctors are still cautious to give him any food, just in case.” 

 

Scully stepped away from her for a moment and leaned over William to feel his forehead. 

 

“He’s burning up… Mom, do they know what it is?”

 

“They’re running some extra tests, but they think it’s just a stomach bug. He’s going to be alright.” 

 

Scully listened intently, then nodded. “Okay… Okay, good.” She sat down on the hospital bed to stay close to her sleeping son. Maggie turned and saw Monica, who had been standing in the corner. 

 

“Monica, it’s so nice to see you again. Are you staying?” 

 

“Yes, I think I should. For Dana’s sake and, well, I’m sure it’ll do William good to have another friendly face here when he wakes up.” Monica replied softly. 

 

“Well, I’ll get some food for you and Dana. You might be here for a little while.” Maggie said with her usual knowing smile. As she left the room and closed the door behind her, Scully shifted slightly to look at the brunette behind her. 

 

“Come sit with us…” 

 

“There’s not enough room, but thank you--”

 

“There’s a chair right here. I know you care about him just as much as I do. He’ll be happy to see you here.” Scully told her and motioned for her to sit down. After a moment of hesitation, Monica walked over and sat in the chair. She couldn’t help but feel nervous, and perhaps a little uncomfortable. Whether she and Scully were officially a couple or not, this was new territory. But, for now, she couldn’t think about it right then. Scully needed someone to be there for her, she needed support. That was something Monica could handle, no matter what the circumstances. She put her arm around Scully’s shoulders again and Scully almost immediately leaned her head against Monica’s shoulder. 

 

“It’s going to be okay… Everything is going to be fine.” Monica said gently, pressing a gentle kiss to her girlfriend’s forehead.


	11. Chapter 11

William was only sick for one painstaking week, and it was soon almost forgotten as time moved on. Almost, but not totally. A few years passed, and William was now in kindergarten. Monica hadn't moved in yet, but she was at Scully's apartment a great deal, often overnight. Sometimes, she even made William's lunch for school while Scully got herself ready for work. With the two of them working together, William was off to school in no time at all. 

 

One night, after a particularly fun movie night, Scully sent William off to bed. 

 

“Okay… 'Night, Mama.” He gave Scully a hug, then walked over to Monica. “Goodnight, Mommy.” He added as he hugged the brunette.

 

“Goodnight, sweetheart.” She replied, trying to hide her surprise. She didn't speak again until he was in bed down the hall. “Wow… your son is one funny, kid, huh?” 

 

“Our son.” Scully corrected, her tone casual. 

 

“Our son? He's hardly--” 

 

“Why not?” 

 

“Well, he's yours… and Mulder’s. You two are his parents, and incredible ones at that. I have no right to consider him my son.” Monica explained. They hadn't had this discussion before, and she didn't want to consider William as hers unless Scully wanted her to. Scully took a deep breath, then nodded. 

 

“Let's talk about it, then. Because I see you as his parent just as much as myself or Mulder. But I don't want to pressure you into this. I'm sure it's difficult to be in a relationship with someone who has a kid. That's a tough commitment.” 

 

“It is, but… I mean, the fact that William considers me as a second mom… God, that means the world to me.” 

 

“I can tell. Besides, we've been doing this for a few years now. You even took a position at the Bureau that allowed you to work on more local cases. And when some of them become X-Files, you hand them over to Doggett. It allows you to be here more often and if you get hurt, at least you're nearby.” 

 

“I know. That's exactly what I said when I told you I was taking the position.” Monica smiled, finding it Interesting that Monica was repeating her own words back to her. 

 

“My point is, Mon… you made a sacrifice, one you didn't have to make. But clearly you were committed enough to me, and to William, to even consider it.” Scully explained. Sometimes, she wondered how she was lucky enough to end up with someone who was so open to such things. After all the pain they had both been through over the years, it was a relief to finally feel happy. 

 

“I know, Dana. But I wanted to be able to be there for you and your-- our son. I hated being away for a week or more at a time. I missed you. And sporadic phone calls just weren't enough. Not anymore. Even when I'm on cases locally, it's still difficult. I don't get to come home to you every night, and my apartment is all the way across town.” Monica sighed, reaching across the couch to take Scully's hand. Scully gently rubbed the back of Monica's hand with her thumb. 

 

“Then… why don't we make it official? I mean, we are official, but why don't we take the next step. Monica, would you like to move in? Live here with me and William permanently?” 

 

Monica's eyes lit up and her usual sunshine-y smile crossed her face. 

 

“Dana, I… I'd love to.” She said softly and kissed her gently. Scully returned the kiss, but found it difficult because she couldn't stop smiling. The two continued kissing, growing more passionate and loving with each passing moment. 

 

The next morning, they woke before Scully's alarm went off, wrapped up in each other's arms. 

 

“Good morning…” Scully smiled, tapping Monica's nose gently. She loved the way that the other woman's nose scrunched up in response.

 

“Morning…” Monica giggled. 

 

“God, you're adorable.” Scully laughed. 

 

“Me? You, too.” Monica chuckled, then sighed softly. “I should probably get dressed, huh? Before William comes in to wake you up?” 

 

“Oh, god… Yeah, if he saw us like this… well, the poor kid would probably be scarred for life.” The redhead smiled softly and sat up. She got up and walked over to the dresser, opening the bottom drawer. She pulled out a t-shirt and jeans. 

 

“Uh, aren't those a little big for you, Dana?” Monica raised an eyebrow. 

 

“They aren't for me, silly. You left them here a few weeks ago. Here, put them on so that you don't have to wear the same clothes as yesterday.” 

 

“Ah, of course. Thank you.” She chuckled, taking the clothes from Scully's hands before quickly getting dressed. Once she looked presentable, she walked into the kitchen and began making breakfast for them while Scully went to wake up her son. As Scully carried her half-asleep son into the kitchen, she thought about what she and Monica had talked about. She hoped that the woman really was comfortable being considered a parent to William. The last thing she wanted was to pressure her girlfriend. But then she watched as Monica came over and said a cheerful “good morning” to the little boy, and she no longer felt unsure. She knew that Monica genuinely loved William and wasn't uncomfortable at all being his second mom.

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not 100% where this story is going for now. I can't decide if I want them to actually get married or not. If so, the story will probably end after that??? I'm not super sure.


End file.
